From ice to outbreak: How climate change could unleash diseases in the Arctic

By Mary McAuliffe April 30, 2025
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Arctic Fox (Jonatan Pie, Unsplash)

Melting ice and permafrost in the Arctic region combined with biodiversity loss may be making communities in the Far North more vulnerable to “zoonotic” diseases, or those that can jump from animals to humans, according to a study.

The findings by Emilie Andersen-Ranberg of the University of Copenhagen and 21 other researchers from institutions across the Arctic, published in the Dec. 10, 2024, issue of the journal Science of the Total Environment, shows how these risks are growing and why the region could be a hotspot for future disease outbreaks as melting ice and permafrost expose long-dormant pathogens.

     Zoonosis

Potential routes of transmission of the zoonotic parasite Toxoplasma gondii in the North, with focus on free-ranging wildlife hosts and the shared environment. (Reprinted and modified with permission from Springer Nature: Springer, Toxoplasmosis in Northern Regions. Source: Bouchard et al. (2022). Adapted under a Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0.)

Among the study findings:

  • Pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss are stirring up old and new diseases that can spread from animals to humans.
  • People living in Arctic communities are more exposed to these risks because they hunt and handle wild animals, live in close quarters, and often lack easy access to healthcare.
  • Three out of four human infectious diseases come from animals, and many are climate-sensitive. The SARS-CoV-2 virus, for example, which causes COVID-19, is widely believed to have originated through a zoonotic event. As the Arctic warms, it’s creating conditions for possible outbreaks of new diseases in animals and humans.
  • Permafrost is thawing, releasing ancient viruses and bacteria. At the same time, warmer temperatures allow ticks and other disease-carrying species to move north, bringing new health threats.
  • Wildlife is under stress from pollution and habitat loss, weakening their immune systems and making it easier for diseases to spread to humans.
  • Local knowledge and coordinated monitoring are missing. Researchers say we urgently need better disease tracking, stronger public health systems, and more collaboration between scientists, communities, and governments.
  • A “One Health” approach is key. That means tackling human, animal, and environmental health as one interconnected system.One Health
The One Health concept of the Arctic showing how the large number of environmental stressors driving zoonotic infectious diseases, and where the cycle can be broken through evidence based collective action. Source: Bouchard et al. (2022). Adapted under a Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0.)

Adverse human-driven environmental change, including the climate, is having an increasing impact on the Arctic environment and its ecosystems, the study authors said. Among its key findings:

    Primary Effects 

    • Direct impacts include increased injuries from extreme weather events and thawing ice, rising heat stress, and decreased cold-related illness.
    • Unintentional injuries, such as drowning, are disproportionately high among Indigenous communities.
    • UV radiation risks are increasing due to ozone depletion.

    Secondary Effects

    • Water systems face threats from permafrost thaw, flooding, and microbial and chemical contamination, increasing waterborne disease risks.
    • Air quality is deteriorating due to pollution from local sources and long-range transport, increasing respiratory and cardiovascular disease risks.
    • Environmental contaminants (like POPs and heavy metals) are entering Arctic food chains, affecting reproductive and developmental health.
    • Food systems are disrupted, leading to a nutrition transition from traditional to processed foods—raising obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic health concerns.
    • Infectious diseases are changing in distribution and type due to warming climates and human migration patterns.

    Tertiary Effects

    • Mental health is increasingly affected by environmental changes, loss of traditional lifestyles, displacement, and “solastalgia” (distress from environmental loss).
    • Migration and relocation are likely outcomes from infrastructure damage due to thawing permafrost and rising sea levels.

    The paper urges for integrated adaptation strategies that include Indigenous perspectives, strengthened infrastructure, environmental monitoring, community resilience, and international collaboration. Addressing these interconnected challenges will require multidisciplinary research and policies tailored to the Arctic’s distinct ecological and cultural context, it said.